The veterinary supplement market is a pittance compared to the human market, but still a billion-dollar pittance that is growing rapidly. Unfortunately, the resources available for good quality research in veterinary healthcare are also a pittance, and it is not at all unusually for our pets to suffer, or even be euthanized, as a result of treatable diseases for want of money to pay for needed care. So $1 billion a year spent on nutritional supplements may not be such a good deal if these products don’t effectively prevent or treat disease.

The variety of supplements available is staggering. Many proprietary concoctions of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other ingredients are marketed for health maintenance, “boosting the immune system,” retarding aging, or treating specific diseases. A comprehensive review of this multitude of moving targets is impossible. But the lion’s share of the pet supplement market goes to a few specific compounds, so I will focus on these. Most of these ingredients are also among the most popular supplements for humans, with a few exceptions, so there will be substantial overlap with previous discussions of the plausibility and evidence for many of these substances.

Gilgamesh's mother was a Dalmatian and his father was a god. He is an athlete, a comedian, a quantum physicist, and is under consideration for both a Nobel Peace Prize and an Emmy Award. His current project is hacking into NASA while swimming the English Channel. He is prone to hyperbole. He is also starving to death and has never been given a treat in his whole life.
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If you'd like to enter the frenzied bidding war over the rights to his memoirs - which are engraved on stone tablets - email us at gilgablog (at) gmail (dot) com.
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If you don't know where the name Gilgamesh comes from, you should read this right away.
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Gilly came from the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center when he was a 7 week old lump closely resembling a thoroughly-chewed kalamata olive pit. He was one of 10 puppies whose pregnant mother was tied to a lamp-post and abandoned. Please spay and neuter, and adopt homeless animals. And please: send shelter or rescue organizations money, volunteer, or call to see if there's anything else you can do. They need your help.
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Welcome and enjoy.